RIP NRPS John 'marmaduke' Dawson...

Shucks...he was a good'un.

 

during my days in San Francisco in the late '60s-early '70s, i was of course smitten with psychedelic music and tried not to miss a Dead show if i could help it. when the New Riders started opening for them (with Jerry on steel), it opened my eyes to the music i'd left behind here in hillbilly-land — sorta reconnected me with my roots. "Panama Red" and "Henry" made me realize the two forms dovetailed nicely!

 

CSNY "Teach Your Children" with Jerry on steel turned on that light for a lot of people out there in FM radio land.

 

Since I'm staying up anyway to hear news 'bout Strasburg I thought I might as well scan the photo below.

It was taken during a free NRPS concert at the Bandshell in Central Park in NYC in either '71 or '72.

That's Eric Anderson singing with them. Enjoy. - Mark

 

The first decent band I was ever in did nothing but NRPS, PPL, GD, Poco, Loggins and Messina, etc.

"She's looking better every beer...."

 

I just saw the NRPS last week, and they were incredible. They had pictures of Marmaduke on top of their amps. I wish I had been around during their heyday.

 

HA! I still do tha tune.

 

Ya can't go wrong with a setlist like that.

L&M are touring again. They're gonna be at Wolf Trap in a week or so and I'm very tempted if it's not sold out already.

 

Marmaduke spent his last years in Mexico, some say "hiding out." I have a reunion disc from about ten years ago where Buddy, David and John played together with Peter Rowan. It's not so good. I'll keep my memories of the shows in San Francisco with Spencer on drums, Jerry on Pedal Steel and Dave Torbert on bass. That was their peak for me. I loved those guys. I had a NRPS logo on the dashboard of my VW that I made from a piece of their stationary.

One of my best concerts was "An Evening with the Grateful Dead with the New Riders of the Purple Sage" at the Family Dog on the Great Highway, a little ballroom across the street from the ocean, one of the remains of Playland at the Beach. What a time. Hard to believe 40 years have passed.